South Fayette’s Challingsworth to miss basketball season

South Fayette High School’s Zach Challingsworth will skip the upcoming basketball season in order to rest a sports hernia injury that he suffered with two games to go in the football season.

Challingsworth, who has a football scholarship to Pitt as a wide receiver, was a first team All-District basketball pick by the Observer-Reporter last year after averaging 15.2 points per game, most on the team.

While plenty of NCAA Division I football recruits give up basketball for fear of injury, Challingsworth said that would’ve never happened had he remained healthy.

“I know what some people say about not wanting to twist an ankle or something like that, but if I was healthy, I’d be out there,” Challingsworth said. “I want to be out there with my teammates.”

Details of the injury at this point are sketchy, the 6-2 senior said, and he will have an MRI next week to learn more.

Additional information will be available in tomorrow’s Observer-Reporter.